The invention generally relates to semiconductor manufacturing and integrated circuits and, more particularly, to circuits and methods of fabricating circuits that provide electrostatic discharge protection, as well as methods of protecting an integrated circuit from electrostatic discharge.
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) events can direct potentially large and damaging ESD currents to the sensitive integrated circuits of a chip. An ESD event involves an electrical discharge from a source, such as the human body or a metallic object, over a short duration and can deliver a large amount of current to the integrated circuit. An ESD protection circuit can be utilized to protect the integrated circuits of the chip from ESD events. During an ESD event, the ESD protection circuit triggers a shunting device, such as a silicon-controlled rectifier, to enter a low-impedance, conductive state. The ESD current is directed through the shunting device to ground and thereby diverted away from the integrated circuit. The ESD protection circuit maintains the shunting device in its conductive state until the ESD current is drained and the ESD voltage is discharged to an acceptable level.
Improved circuits and methods of fabricating circuits that provide electrostatic discharge protection, as well as improved methods of protecting an integrated circuit from electrostatic discharge, are needed.